Triple Monitor Mount

Introduction: Triple Monitor Mount

This is an inexpensive, extremely sturdy, adjustable, triple monitor mount. Below is a list of components needed to build the one I did. The mount can be customized to fit any desired monitor size. This setup is for monitors that are 15" - 23" that are positioned at 30 degree angles to one another. (30 degrees is as far as the 23" monitors can be angled but smaller monitors can go further). The metal pieces I used came from my local metal supply store and were scrap pieces that were already the size, or a little bit bigger than the size I needed. I only cost me around $25 for both the base plate and the C channel beam. The pipe and pipe fittings can be found at your local hardware store. In total, this monitor stand cost me around $80 which is great considering it cost around $300 to buy a fully adjustable professional version.

1 X Aluminum plate that is 21" wide, 14" deep, and 1/4" thick (plate can be of any desired width and depth as long as it creates a sturdy base for the monitor stand. It must be at least 1/4" thick, however, as there needs to be room to thread and screw bolts into it. Plate is not necessary if the monitor stand is to be bolted to a sturdy desk.)

Step 1: Adapting the Cheetah Mount

The cheetah monitor mount has a wall mount at one end and a monitor mount at the other. The wall mount needs to be adapted to fit the monitor stand setup. In order to do this, you will need to unscrew the bolt that couples it to the arm beams. Make sure not to lose the washers that are on it. Once the wall mount has been separated from the rest of the mount, use a Dremel with a metal cut off wheel or another type of metal cut off device like an angle grinder and cut the wall mount just below the piece that attached it to the monitor mount arms (refer to picture). Do this to both ends so that you end up with 2 pieces that look like the ones in the picture. Then reattach the 2 pieces onto the arms but this time, flip them around so that the holes for attaching the mount to the wall are below the arms and not above (refer to picture). Also, make sure to put 1 of the 1/4" 1/4 20 bolts that are 1" long into each of the 2 holes in the 2 pieces you just cut before you reattach them to the arms. The reason to do this now is because it is impossible to put them through the holes when the mount and arms are put back together.

Step 2: Drilling Holes Into the C Channel Beam

The length of the C channel beam can be varied depending on the size of the monitors being used. For my setup, I use 23" monitors and so my beam is 22" long. This is the minimum distance for the beam if the angle between the monitor is to remain 30 degrees or less (I cannot go further than 30 degrees). Once the desired length of the beam has been achieved, 14 holes need to be drilled. refer to diagram for hole placement. Don't forget that if you use a beam longer than 22", you will need to adjust the hole placement for the 2 middle holes as the given measurement wont be correct.

Step 3: Drilling Holes in the Base

The easiest way to figure out where the holes in the base should go is by first drilling the holes in the C channel beam and then placing it over the base and clamp it down. Then use a marker or pencil to trace the outlines for the holes for the pipe flange. This way you are assured that the hole spacing for the c channel and the base are the same distances. Then, using the drill bit that is provided with the 3/16" 1/4 20 hand tap, drill out the holes in the base. Then use the hand tap to thread them.

Step 4: Assembly

1. Attach the bottom plate of the VideoSecu mount to the 2 center holes of the c channel beam (on the flat side) with the 2 3/16" 1/4 20 bolts that are 1" long and 2 of the 3/16" slim nuts.

2. Attach 2 of the metal floor flanges to the c channel beam using the 4 equally spaced holes near the end of the beam with 8 of the 3/16" 1/4 20 bolts that are 1.25" long and 8 of the 3/16" slim nuts. Make sure that the logo on each flange points the same way (usually toward you if the C channel beam is laying lengthwise in front of you). This helps to ensure that both pipes fit the same as the floor flanges can sometimes be threaded at a slight angle. To test for this, screw a 12" pipe nipple into each flange and set them on a flat surface with the pipe in the air. Then note the direction of bend and orient the flanges on the C channel beam so that the bends will be in the same direction (down or up).

3. Attach the two 90 degree elbows to one end of each of the 12" steel pipe nipples. Screw them on an equal amount of turns so that they end up being the same lengths.

4. Screw one of the 90 degree ends of the 12" pipe nipple to one of the floor flanges on the C channel beam. Turn it until it becomes fairly tight, counting how many turns it takes. Then unscrew the bolts holding the flange to the C channel and repeat the process with the 90 degree end of the other 12" pipe nipple and the other flange that is still attached to the C channel. Make sure that you started screwing the 90 degree elbows into the flanges at the same angles. This keeps the stand from being tweaked to one side or another.

5. It helps to use levels during this part of the build (a level is provided with each of the cheetah mounts). Attach one of the last floor flanges to the base and orientate the base so that the pipe flange is the furthest away from you (refer to picture). Then screw the other end of the 12" pipe nipple to the flange observing the starting point and how many rotations it took to make a tight fit. Then turn it a little bit more or a little bit back so that the length of the C channel is parallel with the back of the base (this means, make sure the 22" long part of the C channel is parallel with the 21" long part of the base). Then, unbolt the entire pipe and elbow assembly from both the base and the C channel and repeat the previous steps with the other pipe assembly that you removed earlier.

6. Once each pipe assembly is tight and the same lengths, attach them both to the base and C channel.

7. Attach the main part of the VideoSecu mount to the back of your first monitor. Then, using the provided allen wrench, attach the monitor and mount to the base on the C channel beam that you installed earlier. Use a level on top of the monitor to make the whole thing level . Tilt to the desired angle (90 degrees is recommended).

8. Attach the 2 Cheetah mounts to the 2 holes at each end of the C channel beam with the 1/4" 1/4 20 bolts that are 1" long (that you pre installed in the ends of the cheetah mounts brackets) and the 1/4" slim nuts. One end of the modified cheetah mount bracket will have just a hole while the other side will have a short slot. Make sure the slot is at the bottom of the C channel beam and the hole is at the top for each cheetah mount. You can then install your 2 remaining monitors to the monitor mounts at the end of the cheetah mount's arms.

9. There are several places to tweak the position of the arms and monitors so that the whole setup is parallel and level. One point is the bottom bolt (the one in the slot end, not the hole end) of the cheetah mounting bracket. The loosening of this bolt allows you to raise or lower the angle of the entire arm of the cheetah mount. Another point that can be tweaked is the small bolt in the middle of the monitor mount end of the cheetah mount. You can loosen the bolt, angle the mount, and then tighten it again. You might want to install the monitor on the mount with the 2 top holes of the bracket, check the angle, quickly unscrew the 2 screws, adjust the angle, and then screw the bolts back in. Perform all the desired tweaks until the whole mount and monitors are as desired. Enjoy!

This is a great instructable if you already have the components or can get them for free, but Amazon has triple monitor mounts that are built like tanks for around $50. I bought one for my 22" widescreens and love it. The thumbscrews were quickly replaced with lag bolts to screw directly into the desk, but apart from that, they have plenty of adjustability and are extremely durable. Definitely not your typical Chinese junk.

This is true, but the weight distribution is centralized in a single but small point with the tention screw(s) to hold it in place on the desk edge. The beauity of this design is the force / weight distribution across alarger serface area makes this a huge advantage that you exspensivemonitors will be safe.

I built my computer desk out of 3/4 oak ply I had left over from another project and got rid of the thumb screws in exchange for beefy lag bolts. No weak points here. ;-)

I guess my point was, if you already have a solid surface to begin with, the triple monitor link I posted is well-made and not weak by any stretch of the imagination. Just swap out the thumb screws for real hardware and you're in business for a long time.

Yeah I saw it the other day when I posted this. I built the monitor stand around a year ago and I don't remember this being out there to buy so that's why I decided to build my own. Maybe it was around back then and I just never found it.

Really folks, those using only one monitor should try it out, i only started off with CRT monitors x 2 but over the years saved up and acquired the 4 monitors via the 2 graphics cards in my PC, but for Laptops there are USB to VGA Cable-Adapters available, i need a few of these myself as they will add MORE monitors to my next computer (4 Screens is really enough, 3 is the 'sweet-spot' lol !)

MAJOR THANKS to the author of this instructable as ive needed something like this on the cheap for 3 of my 4 monitors, the 4th being a 42" TV lol !

my desktop has onboard video (which i didn't want but had to take anyway) and a graphics card. at one point, i had the small monitor (18"), the big monitor (27"), and the TV hooked up, all on the graphic card (nVidia geForce). the small monitor is USB, the big monitor is HDMI, and the TV is VGA.

"why"? bec i have a 5yr old who persists in hovering over my shoulder. while i don't mind and in fact encourage her to hover on the instructable site, sometimes i want to go on facebook and that's not appropriate for her. so i put a movie on the TV, i have my email on the small monitor (i get a LOT of email!) and do my "thang" on the big monitor. everybody's happy and *quiet*.

There are also some realy nice USB Video Cards that you could use for your laptop to get that third monitor. - Monitor 1 - Laptop - Monitor 2 - External monitor port on laptop or docking station - Monitor 3 - USB Graphics Card

You could fine a collection of them at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_9?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=usb+video+card&sprefix=usb+video%2Caps%2C255

Just 1 actually. The card is a ATI radeon 6970 which has 2 dvi, 1 HDMI, and 2 mini display ports. This allows me a maximum of 4 connected displays as only one of the dvi ports can be used in a multi monitor setup.

This is awesome. I had a look at buying a mount for my 3 21.5" full HD screens but I'm not allowed to drill holes in the wall and being a student I have no money. I will probably build something like this some day but I would like to get another 3 screens as I already have 2 AMD Radeon HD 7900 Series graphics cards installed.